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CONTENTS
Youths Explore the Environment,
and Change It
Members of Solar Youth – 9 to 14 years old – decided to take action. They wrote to the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and secured a $2,000 grant for supplies. Then, during two blazing hot days, 11 of them built nearly all of a footbridge, 11 feet long, over the mess. Neighbors cheered even before the project was finished. Yesterday people came by, saying ‘Hallelujah” said Joanne Sciulli, a founder and the executive director of Solar Youth. The day before with help from Ms. Sciulli and two adult volunteers, the children had dug a hole, mixed concrete, sunk wooden posts into the concrete, and built a framework on the posts. Now they would fasten environmentally correct planks (“made of recycled plastic and sawdust,” noted Jaleesa Freeman, 12) to the framework.
back to contents Neighborhood Steward Teams-2002 (unfortunately, most pictures from the spring were stolen along with our computer in office robbery ):West Hills Steward Team During a brainstorming session atop West Rock’s
summit, the Team identified litter in Valley Townhouses as a major
problem. They realized that since the community was so close to
the During the Team’s final meeting they passed out the letter to the members of the Valley Townhouse community, and spoke with community members about why they had written the letter, and what they hoped to accomplish. Eastern Circle Steward Team A couple weeks into the program, our Team’s home base moved from the Community Learning Center to another Community Building across the street. Each day as we walked into our new home we had to wade through heaps of broken glass. When it came time to choose our C-SAP, the Team identified the broken glass around the building as their problem to take action on. With help from other local youth, the Team picked up the broken glass, filling a LARGE glass jar and half of a canvas bag. After the clean-up, everyone who helped signed the jar and left it at the Community Center so others could see our accomplishment!! Brookside Steward Team On the planting day, everyone on the Team showed up. Plus, a dozen other young people ages 4 to 16 came along to help out. They weeded and tilled the soil, mixed it with compost, arranged and planted both perennial and annual flower plants, and watered the new garden. Once they were done, a circle of the 20 children who helped came up with ways that they could help keep the garden alive. This included watering it, protecting it from people who might want to destroy it, and weeding. It was a great day. Katherine Brennan Elementary School Steward Team After
identifying several environmental problems in the vicinity of their
school the Brennan Team chose to focus on two – the excessive
amount of broken glass in the local park; and the flooding in a highly
trafficked foot-traveled area between the Brookside community and
the local park and schools.
While completing the Solar Youth C-SAP
Problem Solving Cycle, the Team explored the causes of the broken
glass in the park - (1) little kids shooting glass, (2) adults drinking
in the park and leaving their bottles, (3) people are too lazy to
use the trash can. Their brainstorm of solutions In addition to a productive clean-up, the Team
performed a more long-term service. To address the flooding issue,
Sharee Bruno and Jelisa Burton wrote a grant to the Community Foundation
for Greater New Haven to receive funds to build the bridge –
knowing that they would not hear back until after their program
had ended. In fact, we did hear back, and received the grant. See
story on page 3. Citywide Steward
Program-2002 Camp to your Heart's Content
Farmington Canal from New
Haven to Cheshire Geographic Informatioin Systems Canoe Mill River with Peter
Davis - Riverkeeper
Beach Clean Up - Making Service
Fun! Guerilla Theatre Stategic Planning
withPage & Robinson Boston! - National Environmental
Education Conference
Anti-Litter Poster/Calendar Summit II - Second National
People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit Ms. Joanne and I went to the 2nd National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. from October 23 to 27, 2002. At the first Summit in 1991 the Principles of Environmental Justice were formed. This Summit was on the major accomplishments since and what has been done to help the people who suffer from Environment Injustice. We went to the conference to learn about the Environmental Justice Movement, and how we can protect ourselves. Some things I learned are that the movement began in 1982 when Warren County residents protested a toxic landfill; in 1994 President Clinton signed an Executive Order on Environmental Justice; there are community groups around the world who fight environmental racisim.
The only problem we had was that we had to take
two plane rides to get there and since I’m afraid of heights
I was screaming like I was out my mind. People were looking at me
like I was out of my mind. The Flight Attendant gave a pin with
wings on it. That was my first plane ride ever it was off the HINGES!!!!!! Pro's and Con's of Youth/Adult
Partnerships Youth have trouble being seen as equals and staying focused in long adult meetings. Also, we may have a fear of speaking in front of everyone and being ourselves; who we are. When we don’t feel like an equal, youth should speak out and tell adults how we feel. Adults, after they hear our concerns, should try to improve.
The forth issue is that adults can talk down to us. If this happens, we need to explain how we feel, and they should simplify without talking down. The fifth issue is that adults can often use language that we don’t understand. We should ask them to explain, and they should explain and check in that we understand (but don’t think we don’t know every single word). The last issue is that adults often speak over kids who raise their hands. Youth need to remind adults of the rules, be more aggressive, and speak out. But the adults have to also help, by having more order in their meetings. Through our experiences, we have become more
prepared for the future by learning public speaking, how to focus
and organize. We have also learned about what adults have to do
in life. They get sick and tired too. They sometimes do things they
don’t like to do. They can act up just like we do, and also
go through changes and difficulties. N.E.G.E.F. Retreat - Wooster,
Massachussetts Youth
Spotlight
Staff
Spotlight
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to see specific articles: 
NEW
HAVEN, July 31 – For years, people from the Brookside public
housing complex had trouble reaching the two schools and the small
park just across Belden Brook. They could take footbridges over
the brook itself, but to get there they had to cross a low-lying
area that was often a foot-soaking mess. “It kept flooding,”
said Jasmine Webb, 14. “People kept slipping and falling.”
To cross puddles, mud or snow, people generally used make-shift
arrangements of plastic milk crates.
Ms. Sciulli started Solar Youth late in 2000, to help youngsters
from New Haven’s poorest neighborhoods explore their environment
and become citizens who work together to solve problems. About 40
youngsters at a time participate in the nonprofit organization’s
after-school, weekend and summer programs, and four children sit
with adults on the board of directors. “We help the grown-ups
make decisions,” explained Shakila McKnight, 11. “We write
grants; we help earn money for programs.” Not that it is easy
to get money, to keep things humming. But, Jasmine said, “I
think if I don’t do it, it’s not going to get done; the
problems will still be there.”
Solar
youngsters hike in the city’s parks, canoe in its rivers, identify
local plants and animals. They have climbed giant stone steps to
reach the top at East Rock Park, found tasty mulberries at Long
Wharf Nature Preserve and learned that jewelweed, which grows near
the bridge project, alleviates the itch of poison ivy. They have
also tackled many a cleanup project, including one in 2001 that
removed 500 pounds of debris and junk from Winslow Augustine Park,
next to Brookside. This summer, they spent a day cleaning a West
Haven beach. But it was not all work. “We ended up swimming,”
Jaleesa said.
The
youngsters have also put on skits, spoken at conferences and produced
a 2002 calendar with the message “If we don’t litter,
our city will sparkle like glitter.” One evening, Solar youngsters
buttonholed Mayor John DeStefano Jr. at a neighborhood event. They
told him that Winslow Augustine Park needed trash containers that
could not be tipped over and would be emptied regularly. “We
got them,” Shakila said. ......
The
West Hills Steward Team, composed of youth from Valley Townhouses
and McConoughy Terrace Public Housing Developments, explored nearby
West Rock Park and the West River right in their backyards. Highlights
include hiking to the summit of West Rock and canoeing at West River
Memorial Park with Peter Davis, the New Haven River Keeper. During
trips the Team saw Wild Turkeys, Turkey Vultures, Great Blue Herons,
and Snowy Egrets.
West
River, the litter could end up in the River, hurting the health
of the plants and animals that depend on it to survive. The Team
came up with a variety of causes of how the litter ended up on the
ground – from the dumpster door being left open, to people
being careless – then decided to write a letter to the community
expressing their concern about the litter, as well as some simple
solutions to help reduce litter in the community.
discovered
lots of local plants (many with thorns), and signs of wildlife.
They also had a chance to explore the habitats of East Rock Park
while canoeing the Mill River, and hiking up the Giant Steps to
East Rock’s summit. 
included
- (1) do a clean-up, (2) put up a sign saying no litter. But they
knew these would not make a huge change. A final idea was to place
a basket-ball hoop above trash cans, mak-ing throwing away bottles
a game, which more people may respond to
After
Solo Walks through the dark, we got back and had a campfire, where
we ate s’mores and sang songs. After that we went to bed. In
the morning we washed up, dressed and ate breakfast. Then Ms. Joanne,
our Executive Director, introduced us to Star Childs, the owner
of the Great Mountain
Forest (and a F.O.S.Y. - Friend of Solar Youth). After that we put
up our tents and rolled up our sleeping bags (borrowed from Inner
City Outings). We walked the two miles back to the bus. It took
us a LONG time to get back. That was Solar Youth’s first camping
trip.
“The
Farmington Canal is 80 miles long, 4 feet deep, and 20 feet wide.
There was one problem with it. When it was built (in the late 1820’s),
the soil was not good for holding water, so they built locks, and
if a boat wanted to pass, it had to blow a special horn. By the
time
the canal was finished there was a new way of transporta- tion,
the loco-motive. So, the Farmington Canal became a railroad. But
now people don’t use the Farmington Canal for [transportation]
because of the technology we have today.”
New
Haven City Plan DepartmentDuring the summer we use a lot of maps
for teaching (printed by John MacMillan of City Plan). So on one
day, we took a trip to City Hall to visit the New Haven Department
of City Planning. There they showed us many different types of maps
used by citizens, engineers, ecologists and more. They also gave
a brief demonstration of G.I.S. or Geographic Information Systems
- a computer program that combines mapping with all sorts of information.
THANK YOU CITY PLAN!!
“First we climbed East Rock. On the way up we saw jewelweed,
grape vine, sassafrass and more. On the top we had a good view of
New Haven and could see almost all the buildings. After we climbed
back down we went canoeing.”“We talked about how to canoe
down the Mill River, and how we can canoe without any problems.
And we learned about turtles and animals. We had fun too.”
During
the summer, youth brainstorm Community Service Action Projects that
they want to organize with a group. One group chose to do a clean-up
on West Haven Beach. As the beach clean-up group started planning,
they realized that to get the rest of the kids energized about doing
a clean-up, they would have to make it fun. The group developed
a clean-up scavenger hunt and challenged the group to see who could
collect the most litter. Stewards were broken up into small teams.
Certain unusual pieces of litter were worth points, and the group
that received the most points would get a special award. After a
couple hours of hard work and lots of litter collecting, the teams
returned with bags of trash, old tires, and even a rusted shopping
cart. As the C-SAP organizers, led very strongly by Jynelle, tried
to determine which group would win, they realized everyone had worked
really hard. They let the entire group vote on whether there should
be a winner or that everyone should be rewarded. They chose the
latter. We spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the ocean,
and were treated to ice cream the next day.
I
could hardly believe that I went to Boston with my best friends:
Shakila, Jaleesa, and Joanne. It was so fun. First we arrive at
the big hotel where we stayed. We were attending the North American
Association of Environmental Education conference. The trip was
business. But we had to remind Ms. Joanne all business and no fun
makes us really Mean and Nasty. We went to a meeting about how it
was hard back in the day. The person who was talking was Vernice
Miller - a founder of the Environmental Justice Movement. She inspired
me. 
After
we were done with a workshop on the Pigeon Watch Program, we bumped
into one of Joanne’s really really old friends Catherine Pouch
(Joanne’s age). She works for this great show that was sold
out and she gave us free tickets and shirts and magnets. It was
so fun. It was a group called Blue Man Group. They came down from
the stage. They came to me and I got scared and covered my eyes
and he looked at me like I was losing my mind. But, overall, it
was a great opportunity for us. I don’t know about Jaleesa
and Shakila, but I’m glad to be part of Solar Youth and have
a friend like Ms. Joanne.
In
2001 we received funds to create an anti-litter poster to be distributed
throughout New Haven. During youth’s design session, they developed
the Litter Challenge - to mark off all the days in the year that
you do not litter on a calendar, surrounded by pictures of local
youth cleaning up the environment.The calendar has been distributed
to over 2,000 children and adults! Former SYI interns Ray Feliciano
and Serena Morrison, on their Winter Break from Roger Williams College,
visited several classrooms to discuss the Litter Callenge and watersheds.
This spring, YAG member Jaleesa Freeman wrote and recieved a grant
to the United Illuminating Earth Partner Program to make a new calendar
for 2003.
We
met several leaders of the movement, including Peggy Shephard from
West Harlem Environmental Action Coalition; Robert Bullard who wrote
lots of books on EJ; Vernice Miller who now works for the Ford Foundation;
Charles Lee and Benjamin Chavis who put out a very important 
study
on Toxic Waste and Race in 1989, and more. The conference was awesome,
with lots of young people speaking their minds.
Another
issue is if adults don’t give attention to our ideas, we get
bored. If youth feel this way it means we need to be more aggressive,
not shy, and the adults should practice “active listening.”
The third issue is that adults sometimes don’t talk directly
to us, or make eye contact. Youth should make them aware of what
they are doing, and adults should remember to include everyone no
matter what age, color or size they are.
On
November 8th and 9th we went to the New England Grassroots Environmental
Fund’s Grantee Retreat. There were people from a 
whole
lot of environmental non-profit organizations who all got grants
from NEGEF. People spoke about ways we can get money. [In a workshop]
we spoke about what we did with the money we recieved. I learned
that all meetings are not going to be exciting but I can still last
through the whole meeting. I also learned that stuff at the gift
shop costs a lot of money.
I
started in 1999 when the pilot program first began. I’ve been
in the program for 4 years now. I was hired as an intern last summer.
By being a part of the program I was in the newspaper and on a billboard.
I participated in many C-SAP’s (Community Service Action Projects)
from cleaning beaches to storm drain stenciling. I was even a part
of the YAG (Youth Advisory Group) for 1 year.
Solar
Youth helped me by teaching me how to appreciate the environ-ment
more than I used to. I learned very much from this program. It helped
me in science class. For example tests on the water cycle and on
the ecosystem like how things in nature rely on each other. Those
are just some of the things that I learned in Solar Youth over the
last four years. Thanks.
What
can I say about her? Well... 